The UW Women’s Hockey Program is just four years old, yet each season it has seen continued improvement so that this year has the team focused on a National Championship.

Last year’s team set new marks for winning percentage (.700), wins (22), and final national ranking (No. 5). This season, the Badgers hope to carry that momentum to the NCAA Championships, and postseason games they failed to reach a year ago. There are question marks about this team, but the Badgers are counting on having enough talent and leadership returning to warrant great expectations from this year’s squad.

The Badgers, who have had three different coaches in the first four years of the program, will get a chance to play in a familiar system, as Mark Johnson returns for his second year on the bench. The familiarity should provide a comfort zone for the five returning seniors who are expected to lead the team, while helping the eight freshmen get up to speed.

“There is a comfort level this year, as we know what to expect in practice and from Coach,” senior captain Steph Millar said. “With eight incoming freshmen, we can lead them better.”

“You never really get comfortable,” Coach Jonhson said of his second year at the UW helm. “I think you get more excited than comfortable. You still need to play some games to get an indication of what type of identity your team is going to give you.”

Offensively, the Badgers look to replace Sis Paulson, who led last year’s team in assists and points and was one of the team’s leaders. Two seniors, Steph Millar and Meghan Hunter, will look to fill in that leadership role, while the offensive production will likely come from a combined team effort. UW can, however, take comfort in the return of its leading goal-scorer from a year ago, junior Jackie Friesen. The Badgers will also look for talented freshmen Lindsay Macy and Meaghan Mikkelson to help shoulder some of the offensive load. Although the talent appears to be present, the Badgers are still wondering who will step up and fill the offensive void that remains.

“We’ve brought in some kids that have scored quite a few goals in their careers, but that was in high school or Canada and they still have to make the adjustments to college,” Johnson said. “If we work hard and get better individually, we’ll get better as a team.” Defensively, the Badgers hope to add two new faces into a solid mix of core players. Led by junior captain Carla MacLeod, the group looks to keep the Badgers competitive in every game. Freshmen Kristen Witting and Bobbi-Jo Slusar bring a lot of talent to an already solid blue line. Despite relying on two freshmen playing prominent roles and the presence of just six defensemen on the roster, the defense should be one of the Badgers’ major strengths.

“I’m real comfortable with our defense. You knock on wood, and hope you don’t get any major injuries, but we should be real solid there,” Johnson commented about his team’s talent, but lack of depth in defense.

The biggest question for UW this season is in the goal. Graduated is Jackie MacMillan, the only goalie to see significant minutes in the programs history. Enter two individuals who have just five games’ worth of experience between them in sophomores Meghan Horras and Jessica Bernal. The two will battle with highly touted freshman Christine Dufour to earn the starting job between the pipes. If this question mark is answered early and adequately, it could certainly propel the Badgers toward great success this season.

The Badgers open the season Friday at the Kohl Center against Vermont. For Johnson and the rest of the coaching staff, it will be a first chance to see their team in action. After that two-game home series, the Badgers will travel to Maine the following weekend, before returning home to face off with WCHA rival and nationally-ranked Minnesota on October 25 and 26.

Johnson likes the softer starting schedule so he can get some things in order before heading into the tougher WCHA portion of the year.

“We really need to use these four games to get a little experience, and get an evaluation of who’s going to step up and who’s capable of performing, so that when we go into that series with Minnesota we have some answers to our biggest questions,” he said.

If Johnson gets the answers he is hoping for, this very well could be the season for UW to make its first appearance in the four-team NCAA Championships.